(Photo: Pato Cassinoni) Irish National Opera‘s (INO) recent tour of Smetana’s “The Bartered Bride” took in a number of small venues across Ireland that rarely, if ever, get featured in its normal schedule. Included were towns such as Birr, Monaghan and Manorhamilton, situated in the rural hinterlands, far distant from the Dublin metropolis and the smaller urban areas of Galway, {…}
(Photo: Ruth Walz) Like other fairytales, Richard Strauss’ opera, “Die Frau ohne Shatten,” with its cast of human and supernatural beings, otherworldly locations and a magical plot, makes use of symbols and metaphor to carry deeper messages and thus opens itself up to a wide range of interpretations. Katie Mitchell, the director for Dutch National Opera’s recent production, certainly took {…}
The winners of the 38th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Singing Competition have been announced. The competition, founded by Hans Gabor of the Wiener Kammeroper, prides itself as being “THE ‘springboard’ for a career in opera,” according to its website. Previous participants and winners include such stars as Elina Garanča, Angela Gheorghiu, Angela Meade, Antonio Poli, Stuart Skelton, Rachel Willis-Sørensen, and {…}